Indonesia's President, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudohoyno, earlier this week announced the outcomes of a long-awaited and much-debated cabinet reshuffle. Many of the new appointments followed analysts' predictions.

Indonesia's Tourism Ministers, Old and New

But in an unexpected move, current Tourism Minister Jero Wacik will become the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, while Dr Mari Elka Pangestu will transfer from the Trade portfolio to become the new Tourism and Creative Economy Minister.

(It is not known how the cabinet reshuffle will affect Mr Wacik's wife, Triesna Wacik a.k.a. Miss Toilet. For the record, Dr Pangestu is married and has two children, therefore a member of her family could in theory become the next Miss Toilet or even a Mr Toilet.)

New ministerial appointments in Indonesia often take on their new role with vigour at least initially. They often make impromptu visits to the facilities under their control and meet some of their new colleagues'. Occasionally, they even listen to some of their constituents' feedback.

Hopefully her success in importing products to this country (from salt to airplane) will be followed by another success in importing tourists instead.

I don’t know about her or member of her family becoming the next Miss toilet, but having seen how keen she was in promoting open trade, I am afraid if it will somehow affect her policy about open defecation.

Not to mention you can get from the airport to the city in Malaysia by freeway or in a modern clean safe train in under an hour. Let’s be honest, when you land in KL you get the impression that you have landed in a modern safe city. Jakarta is third world mayhem from the moment you land until you arrive at your hotel up to four hours later (try a rainy Friday night arrival). Keeping in mind that four hours is to travel about 25km.

Can anyone really point out a touted tourist attraction that is not surrounded with empty water cups, mie packets and open sewers? Even a trip to the Manado islands is now more noteworthy for the rubbish in the water than the coral or diving.

That could happen. If the minister applied the same strategy in promoting tourism with the strategy she applied when she became the minister of trade, which is eliminating barriers to entry (literally, by eliminating the voa counters)

That could happen. If the minister applied the same strategy in promoting tourism with the strategy she applied when she became the minister of trade, which is eliminating barriers to entry (literally, by eliminating the voa counters)

Yes, maybe I was being too harsh.

Indonesia did finally eliminate earlier this year fiskal (departure tax) after years of saying the country couldn’t afford it, needed the money, etc. However, I don’t think that was a the Tourism Minister’s decision.

Similarly, visa/immigration matters are the responsibility of the Justice and Human Rights Minister. Perhaps the Tourism Minister could lobby for the abolition of the visa on arrival fee, but ultimately it’s not her call.

“Perhaps the Tourism Minister could lobby for the abolition of the visa on arrival fee, but ultimately it’s not her call.”

Yes. Just like the cleanliness of toilet is not really her responsibility, the annoying traffic jam is not for her to solve, or the convenience of public transports is out of her scope of work. But still, all that factors have influence on the number of tourists visiting this country. So coordination is the key.

Unfortunately, coordination is one of her weaknesses, judging from some conflicts she had previously with other ministers. But that’s a different story.

In order to develop the tourism sector as a key driver of the country’s economy, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative industries plans to hold a major tourism conference in Jakarta next month.

Minister for Tourism and Creative Industries Mari Elka Pangestu said in Jakarta on Monday that the event, the first ever national-level tourism conference, would be held from Dec. 5 to 6 this year and would be attended by business people, senior officials from both regional governments across the archipelago and central government.